Chamber fires off a winning event despite the rain

Last year Tiffany Gerber, executive director of the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, realized when having the annual chamber golf outing that not all of the chamber members enjoy the game of golf, so there was room to find another way to invite its members to enjoy a day of fellowship together.

That way was the Holmes County Chamber Sporting Clay Shoot, which took place for the second year on Friday, May 17 at the Holmes County Airport Ridge Sporting Clays facility near the airport in Millersburg.

And no amount of rain would keep the dozen participating company quartets from competing, and that was good because the event took place in an absolute deluge.

However, it didn’t dampen the spirits of the chamber members, and the event turned out to be every bit as much fun as if it had been on a sunny day.

“We realized not everyone who is a chamber member golfs, and we wanted to create something that was a bit unique, and we have this beautiful facility here,” Gerber said. “What a great way to incorporate nongolfers, and we know we have a lot of members who are among the Plain community, and we have a lot of shooting enthusiasts, so it made sense not just as a fundraiser, but from the standpoint of networking.”

Sponsored by Centor, the event saw plenty of chamber members eager to test their shooting skills on the new Gray Course.

Gerber praised the Shooting Clays staff members for their support, as well as Centor for stepping up to sponsor the event.

Membership and finance manager Samantha Whitworth was handed the reins for this event this year, and she said everything went as well as they could have hoped considering the damp weather.

“Everything went great, although this is not the weather I ordered,” Whitworth said.

Gerber said they had sponsors reaching out to them right up until the event, something the chamber relishes because it shows the commitment of area businesses to support the chamber and its efforts to promote businesses county-wide.

That list included title sponsor Centor; CSB, which sponsored the carts; Rea & Associates, which sponsored the luncheon; and associate sponsors ProVia, Pomerene Hospital and Liberty Health Share. Breakfast was sponsored by Keim, and all beverages were sponsored by Killbuck Savings Bank.

“It really shows our community spirit and commitment to the chamber,” Whitworth said of the sponsors.

Tim Carter, operations manager at Centor, said his company enjoys developing relationships through the chamber’s efforts, and Centor has taken some huge strides in establishing a presence in Holmes County.

“We are pleased to have been invited to the clay shoot and be a main sponsor,” Carter said. “We are looking forward to growing our relationship with the chamber and fostering relationships within the community as well, and we’re honored to have the chance to be a part of something special.”

Gerber said the chamber continues to listen to any members’ ideas of possible ways they can create more opportunities for its 400 business members to gather together.

“These in-person events make it easier for all of us to build relationships among our members,” Gerber said.

Wes Humble, chamber ambassador and member of Liberty Health Share, said these types of events are perfect to introduce members and share in the lives of the people who share work, residence and leisure time together.

Liberty Health Share is a faith-based insurance company ministry that provides an alternative to conventional healthcare. Humble said it is a growing group of more than 70,000 people of faith taking care of one another.

“We’ve done a lot with the chamber the past year and love being part of this community,” said Humble, who volunteered his time to help out during the day.

Thanks to the chamber team and many others, rain couldn’t wash away the enthusiasm and spirit of the chamber members, who fired off plenty of shots to complete a terrific chamber outing.